Problems with 1999 Chrysler Concorde ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Without warning on early monday morning around 12:15 am on the new jersey turnpike between exits 1 and 2, my family was driving from mayrland back to new york, my 1999 chrysler concorde lxi made a loud banging noise under the hood along with smoke and all the lights came on the car. the engine just stopped; i swerved and pulled along the shoulder. there was oil everywhere on the ground. when oil was poured into the car, it came right out. so, my car had to be towed to brooklyn, which costs $445. luckily my in-laws live near by so my son and wife were able to stay there for the night. my mechanic inspected the car and said that his whole fist can fit in the engine block. he said that it was caused by internal damages and a bad oil pump. my car only has 63,000 miles and is only 5 years old. now, i need to replace my engine and the part alone will cost me $2,200.

I was hoping you could give me information about a possible class action lawsuit concerning chryslers 2.7 engibne. i have a 1999 chrysler concorde. july 30th, 2004 my car started making a horrible noise and stopped running as i rolled into my mechanics place of business. he was able to listen to it and immediately told me of the problems he has seen with this engine and thought there might be a silent recall, i should take it to a chrysler dealership. i had it towed to the dealership, where they diagnosed a bad timing chain. after researching this i didn't feel that it was my responsibility and contacted chrysler customer relations. after several calls, they finally agreed to pay for only the parts, i was responsilble for labor. by the way, my car has approx. 44,000 miles. after replacing the timing chain, i called to see when my car would be ready and i was told that the engine is still making noise. the short block and oil pump was gone, therefore, i needed to replace the engine at my cost of $5,500. i reminded them of the 2.7 engine problems, which fell on deaf ears. customer relations are of no help either, they claim that the timing chain didn't cause engine failure, but the oil pump did. they will not assist with any of the charges. i asked them to not fix it because i am trying to get help with this. i have requested a service rep. to assist with this matter. chrysler also requested to see if i had neglected the car before paying for parts on the timing chain. they found no evidence of sludge or abuse. just like everyone else, i am extremely upset about this matter. i purchased the car with the intent of it lasting longer than it has, especially with such low mileage! i would appreciate it if you could contact me with any information.*ak

While driving the engine light came on and the vehicle cut off. the vehicle was towed.it was discovered that the engine was defective.( a research was done on the 2.7 l engine, and the failure rate was great). *jb

While driving the engine completely locked up. consumer had the first engine 2.7 replaced with a rebuilt 2.7 liter engine. in which she was told the 2.7 liter engine was the only one to fit the vehicle. this rebuilt engine was experiencing the very same problem as the first. consumer stated that transmission and input, output sensor has been replaced. *ak

1) driving 1999 chrysler concorde when weird noises started. pulled off the road. stuck with my (2) children in a hot car until tow truck came. 2) car would not restart. called chrysler dealer. they said the tensioner for the timing belt was broke. we fixed that for over $400.00. then they ran a compression check. no compression. they said the valves in the engine were probably bent. looking at $2,500.00 or more to fix or a re-built engine for $7,000.00. 3) my husband had the car towed back home. we are tearing it apart ourselves. (cant afford chrysler to do it). the valves are bent. we are taking the heads to a local machine shop to put new valves in.*ak

Complete engine failure due to build up of sludge and bearing material in oil filter causing timing chain to jump and engine to fail. luckily this happened at the auto repair shop, not on the highway, as many others have experienced. have literally found hundreds of complaints on the internet relating to the chrysler 2.7l engine and its propensity to fail. our 1999 chrysler concorde has less than 40,000 miles and has always received routine maintenance. we were among the lucky ones...our engine failed while backing out of the auto shop garage...instead at 65 miles per hour going down the highway. interesting how there are no warning lights...nothing to tell you this is about to happen. *jb

2.7 liter engine failed on 1999 chrysler concorde with 65,000 miles. chrysler claim they do not have a problem with this engine and has refused to offer any assistance on the repair. estimated cost to repair is $6,000.*ak

My 1999 chrysler concorde was maintained per the owners manual instructions yet the engine failed at 55,700 miles. please advise why chrysler has provided 50% of the cost to replace chrysler engines for other customer yet chrysler has not offered any financial help to replace the engine in my chrysler vehicle?*ak

Car engine failure at 90,000 miles. was traveling on i-75 at 70 mph, engine gave no warning, just had cam shaft sensor replaced and oil sensor replaced, this was the second time for both items in the past year. have not gave authorization to replace engine, cost estimated at 6000.00. was told by mechanic this a problem with the vechile. contacted chrysler, was told i should have bought a new vechile instead of buying a used one. this only had 50,000 miles on it when purchased, but i travel over a hundred miles to and from work daily. engine should not have failed at 90,000 miles. *ak

1999 chrysler concord 2.7 liter engine-has history of engine failure. my 1999 concord now has smoke coming from the exhaust pipe, rough idle when cold, and also has intermittent oil pressure light illumination (all within 24 hours of the car being serviced for the oil light problem). *nm

I have a 1999 chrysler concorde lx with a 2.7 engine. my wife was driving down an access road at about 45 mph when the car started losing power. she thought it was because of the air conditioner but when it stopped it died. no warning lights came on to tell her anything was wrong. did not notice temperature getting hot. had it towed to mechanic shop. mechanic said it had water in the block with the oil. said it needed a new motor. to rebuild mine, at his cost, would be $4500.00. this is without the labor of removing and reinstalling motor. other option- wait until a used one becomes available. that would cost $1700.00-- $2700.00. i have found many similar stories on this web sight. bdm. *ak

While making a left hand turn vehicle stalled. as a result, the timing chain broke, and sludge built up. *ak

Reference number: [xxx] [xxx]. this is a defective product liability issue. i want financial compensation for the repair of my vehicle. daimler .*ak chrysler and its representatives are directly responsible for the mechanical failure of this vehicle. faulty engine design, and incorrect maintenance performed. vin# [xxx] 1999 concorde 11/04/03 repair order invoice#[xxx]: replace camshaft sensor. mileage 83117. 02/02/04 repair order invoice#[xxx]: replace camshaft sensor. mileage 88097. 03/22/04 invoice# [xxx]: a/c compressor seized, replace engine. mileage 91065.estimated repair cost $7740.00 please contact me as soon as possible. thank you *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

We purchased a 1999 concorde that had 39000 miles on it in 2001. we have put 21000 miles on it since then without a problem...until last week. i was driving my 5 year old son to school and the car died on me at a stop light. i put it in neutral and started it again and was able to make it to his school, 1 1/2 miles away. after dropping him off i got it to the end of the driveway and it died again. after it cooled down it started ok and i was able to drive it home, 6 miles away. at 4 miles it stalled on me again. when i got within 1/2 mile of home it started chugging on me and when i turned the corner on my street it died again. i got it started one more time and coasted into my driveway. we could not get it to start again until it had cooled down for 2 hours. we took it to a mechanic, not a chrysler dealer, who believed it was the cam sensor. because he felt it was a possible warranty item he suggested we take it to a dealer. we did, and they said there was no warranty so we had our mechanic replace the sensor. the day after that when we would stop at a signal the oil light would flash on and off. there was oil in it since the mechanic had also just changed the oil when he had it. we took it back to the mechanic. he felt there was something wrong with the engine, but he could not identify it. he again suggested we take back to the dealer since it only had 60000 miles on it and believed it should not have this kind of a problem. we received a call from the dealer today. they informed us the car needs a new engine.*ak

Ii bought a 1999 chrysler concorde in late october of 2003. it had low miles (35,000) and the dealership (a chevy dealership) gave me a 90 day or 3,000 mile warranty. i am faithful about taking care of my care so imagine my surprise when the engine light came on and as i was driving it to the chrysler dealership, it died. i had it towed there and they called me the next day and told me that the timing chain had gone out and that i would need to have it replaced. i gave them the go-ahead. but within hours, they called me back and asked if i had ever changed the oil in my car? i told them that i had within the last 1,000 miles. i had just purchased the car, and it had come with a 120 point inspection (including an oil change). the chrysler dealership said it was the worst case of sludge he had ever seen in his 17 years of working as a mechanic! i was stunned. i had just purchased this car! he told me i should have it returned to the chevy dealership where i purchased it, and demand that they repair it. well two days later, i have my car towed down the road to the chevy dealer and i call them to tell them the bad news. they inform me that they can fix it at the cost of $7300 for a new engine, $6300 for a rebuilt one or $5700 for a used one of 30,000 miles! i financed the car at a 9% interest rate on $7,000. if i pay for a new engine, i would be paying for this car 2 1/2 times over! i told them that it was unacceptable. they then told me the name of the local chrysler representative here in the greater cincinnati area. i have a phone call in to mr. greg pritz but i have yet to hear back from him. do you offer advice or suggestions. durell - butch - hamm. *ak

Intermittently when trying to start the vehicle consumer had problems starting it. also, while driving at any speed vehicle stalled when the brakes were depressed. these problems occurred thirty times since february of 2004. dealer was notified of the problem but refused to check the problem because there was no recall for stalling. *ak

Consumer stated that vehicle would not start. he took vehicle to dealer, and was told that engine malfunctioned. it would cost consumer $8000.00 to get it repaired. consumer insisted that the motor should not have failed at 96000 miles.*ak

While driving 55 mph the vehicle stalled. the consumer managed to pull over and had the vehicle towed. the cause has not been determined. *nm *sc

Sludge build up in engine has caused thru no error on my end a blown engine, with no warning. i need a new motor even after all the money i've put into it with sensors in the tranny, new window motor, rod knocking...and i changed oil in the car every 3,000 miles using the oil that chrysler recommends. there is so much sludge build up on this 2.7 engine that if it were a human artery the patient would have died too...this is an ongoing problem with these motors and no one will do anything to help us get it fixed, unless we have an extra $7,000.00 sitting around

While driving between 35-45 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. when this occurred, the vehicle lost all power. please provide any additional details. *jb

While driving vehicle stalled. consumer was unable to restart the vehicle, but managed to pull over, and had vehicle towed. dealership mechanic had been notified, but was unable to resolve the problem. *ak

Dt: th econsumer complained about an engine problem. the first time he stopped at a traffic light and when he tried to pull out the engine stalled. he was able to get it to start it back, but it made a lot of noise. the consumer took vehicle to a mechanic who told him that there was a problem with the timing chain. and they told him that the engine needed to be replaced. he had the engine replaced. recently, the problem recurred the consumer took vehicle to a mechanic again. they told him that if they fixed the timing chain that it might help or there may be more problems. he has not had this fixed as of yet. *ak

While driving at 40 mph, the vehicle stalled on a side street. the vehicle was towed to a repair shop. the mechanic informed the consumer" the engine had seized up and a new one was needed". the manufacturer and the dealer were aware of the problem. *jb

While driving at 50 mph, the consumer heard a loud fluttering sound under the hood of the vehicle. the vehicle immediately lost power and a few seconds later it stalled. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the consumer that the serpentine belt snapped. *ak the dealer found the timing belt idler tensioner bolt broken off in the block and the water pump leaking they drilled out the broken bolt and replaced the timing belt and tensioner, the engine was cranked over and the discovered that all cylinders the had no compression. probable cause was bent valves. consumer had to replace the engine. *tt *jb

Air conditioning/heating unit does not cool or heat properly. has been investigated regularly without chrysler dealer "finding" anything. on particular date below it was a very cold morning, used heat and drove 3 kids 20 miles. stopped for half hour, got back in car and car sounds like a diesel engine - rough and loud. i was alone with the 3 kids. asked a couple of men to listen, they thought cylinder(s) were gone as noise lowered when engine revved. (by the way, this car has had 2 transmissions already, with 73,000 miles). limped home scared to death on interstate highway with the 3 kids. stopped at service station, told not to drive as engine was failing. called aaa and they came and towed to chrysler dealer. dealer was unable to replicate the diesel sound and "found nothing wrong." today is nov 24th 2003 and this morning the same sound is back in my engine. the heat only works when i am moving, not at idle, and leaves a very odd smell in the car if the car is left idling with the heat on. i have a 5 month old, a 5 year old and an 8 year old, i am getting very frightened to drive this car with them in it anymore. i did an online search and found that this ac/heat problem is prevalent in this model (chrysler concorde 1999) and can create sludge in the engine that causes sudden engine failure. i want this fixed and i want you to get after chrysler about this! *la

Dt: the consumer states that on chrysler 1999 concorde the engine filled up full of sludge and the engine was destroyed. this happened in october 2003. the car was sitting in the driveway of the owner, and it has not been fixed. the cost from the dealer was $7,600.00 for a new engine, but in canada it was $3,200.00. the owner was in canada when this happened. the dealer said that the owner did poor maintenance on the car, and that caused it to fill with sludge. the owner send the manufacturer a letter and has not had a response. the car set in the driveway for 2 years. the owner had to tow the car back to the states. was hoping that chrysler was going to fix the car, and chrysler dealership responded they were not going to fix it. the owner said that chrysler was taking the owner to court over the payments on the car. the owner wanted chrysler to fix the engine and then will pay them the money. *ak *jb

Engine failure while driving a chrysler concorde 2.7 liter engine due to sludge build-up in the engine. no warning whatsoever. *la

Door's automatic locking mechanism/ power windows failed, and engine was making loud noise . also, and front alignment malfunctioned twice. dealer notified. *ak

Premature engine failure of the 2.7 liter engine found in the chrysler concorde. *ak

Engine stops unpredictably, resulting in loss of power steering and brakes. there is absolutely no warning that this is about to occur. no "idiot lights" are lit, and the engine does not lurch or hesitate -- it simply quits. this has resulted in some near mishaps when this occurs in heavy traffic. sudden deceleration without warning, and very sluggish handling until the engine can be restarted, represents a significant hazard to myself, my passengers, and other drivers. input-output sensors were replaced 90 days ago. this eliminated the problem until september 16, 2003 when it began to recur. *jb

Engine seized while driving, causing vehicle to lose power. *ak

Consumer stated while driving heard some engine noise. pulled off the road, and engine died completely. dealer notified. *ak

My car a 1999 chysler concord has approximately 70,000 miles on it. it has used oil ever since 30,000 miles mark i'm talking 3 quarts per oil change. i see in chyslers memo to dealers this is acceptable it should use 1 qt. per 750 miles. at that rate it's empty on oil by oil change time at 3000 miles. now i'm driving and a rod bearing goes out. again another well known and documented problem with the 2.7 l engine. here i sit making $400.00 payments on a car i can't afford to fix ($4000.00) to replace engine. please help us to get a much needed recall!! thank you. *ph

While driving at 50 mph engine failed without warning. *ak the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the dealer replaced a total of 5 computers but the vehicle continued to stall. *ts *nlm

Experienced engine failure due to sludge build up caused by car heater.

I had a a/c diagnostics test at maxwell(chrysler/plymouth) 6905 i.h. 35 south austin, texas 78715 on april 5, 2003. service advisor: 9 doug shaw told me i needed fan belts(two at $165), rt cooling fan motor soon($236.00 for cooling fan motor, and other engine cooling fan motor replaced but if cooling fan motor only at $322.14), evaporative coil(at cost $1035.00), evac&recharge-add dye($145.00 cost) for testing. i had someone else put on the rt cooling fan motor and put fill it up with freon. it is still not working properly. sometimes it will come on and blow cold air sometimes it won't. but it will not come on right away. driver's door radio door speaker has a buzz.

I own a 1999 chrysler concorde lxi. i have had numerous problems with this car since i have owned it. lot of little things. window motors, cooling fan, transmission overspeed sensor, and the list goes on. now the air conditioner is going out, having to service it about every 2 months. why i am writing though is the steering. seems like it is going bad. i feel this is a safety issue and read many complaints on your web site concerning this. why hasn't a recall been ordered for this and the speed up issue?*ak

fuel pump failed/timing belt broke, and the piston went through the engine. as a result, the vehicle stalled while driving at a low speed. dealership was unable to replace the engine due to a back order because this was a common problem. *ak

6 times my 1999 chysler concorde 2.7 motor was taken to dealership for problems with the motion sensor/cause motor to uphift or downshift at random or get stuck in gear...last week a loud rattling in the motor 74000 miles...engine replacement ...$3,000 *ak

1999 chrysler concorde engine failure at 90000 whille wife and children in traffic engine failure due slug build up. mechanic said it would cost $4600.00 to replace engine still owe 11000 on it, and cant afford to repair. mechanic said slug build up is due to oil pump design also have ac problem and have had radiator fan failure twice , speed sensor failure, broken window clips, brake shimmy , broken recliner seat bolts

I was driving my 99 concorde on a curvy road when engine started knocking and died. i had only manual steering and no brakes. it took all of my strength to keep it from going off a curve. i called the tow service and had it towed to a garage. they said a rod bearing had gone out of the engine. after numerous calls to chrysler and the district mngr. he had it towed to the dealership where i bought it. to rebuild my engine (with their discount) was $6300.00. another rebuilt engine was $7300.00 a new engine was $8300.00. i have records this car was babied and regularly serviced. chysler has denied their problem with hundreds/thousands of the 2.7 l engines saying the sludge build up in the engine causes the blow up. they blame the owners for poor maintenance. so now i have a lawn ornament in my driveway. i refuse to pay this. i can buy another used whole car for that. i've been a chysler man for years as was my father. i have 3 now. when they are gone. that's it. believe me i will research my next auto i purchase.

I have a 1999 chysler concorde, 2.7 liter, with 85,000 miles. the engine began knocking and then the oil light then came on. i stopped the car on the expressway. after sitting i could restart the engine, drive a short distance (.1 miles) before the light would come on again until i got to an exit. the car was then towed to a garage. they have diagnosed likely bearing failure requiring an engine rebuild. the oil pressure is dropping as the engine warms up. they found metal shavings (brass) in the oil. until this problem, the engine had not knocked or had any valve noise or other issues indicating low oil pressure. i have generally changed the oil every 3,000 miles. this failure seems premature and without warning. the safety issue is that motorists are left stranded on the expressway due a possible defect involving the materials used in the manufacture of this particular engine. while the mileage exceeds the manufacturers warranty, the failure is extremely premature.

Oil sludge in low mileage engine. *jb

I own a 1999 chrysler concord (purchased new) and was told that my engine was "shot". to replace it will cost $5,000. this included $3,800 for the rebuilt engine and $1,200 for labor. this is ridiculous!!! it has 78,000 miles on it and i have always taken it in for scheduled maintenance. for a car that cost over $22,000 to need this kind of repair at these few miles is unacceptable to me. perhaps i am naive. i wonder how many problems with the engine others have encountered, but haven't officially reported. many i am sure. i am working full-time as well as part-time to save money for a down payment to purchase a house this year. thanks to my engine being "shot" - my husband and i will have to forgo our dream of owning a home anytime soon. hopefully we can get past this and the interest rates will stay low enough for our two year old daughter to have christmas in her own home in 2004!!!*jb

Chrysler concord 2.7 engine driving down hwy oil light came on loud knocking under hood car stopped towed car to dealer. they said i had a blown engine i change the oil every 3 to 35 hundred miles. they said that the engine had excessive sludge. after talking to several other engine people they said that the 2.7 engine has a habit of blowing at around 75000 miles

My 1999 chrysler concorde with 46,000 miles on it developed sludge in the engine causing the timing chain to come off its track and subsequently damaging other parts of the engine. the dealer says the engine needs to be replaced at a cost of $8,000. when i asked what caused the sludge, the dealer told me i didn't have the oil changed enough. when i produced documents to the contrary, the dealer told me the oil used must have been bad and broke down. i find this highly unlikely. to date, i have not gotten satisfaction from the dealer or chrysler. i am aware of others with the same problem. several of these people were also told the same thing by their dealers. it seems like it's a canned routine to deflect responsibility for this problem onto someone else. i believe chrysler is aware of this problem and is not standing behind their product. can anything be done?

Consumer advised that timing chain guide has broken twice while driving resulting in extensive engine damage. 1st failure occurred in 10/01 at 34k miles. 2nd failure occurred in 11/02 at 58k miles. ts

Engine started making loud knocking noise. had the car towed to chrysler. chrysler reports that the timing chain came loose and caused severe damage to the water pump and engine and the timing chain, water pump and engine need to be replaced. they report that there were no oil leaks and filter and plug were in place and dealer could not explain cause. i have spoken to chrysler corp. and the dealership. chrysler agreed to help with repair until they found out the engine was damaged and needed to be replaced. the repair will be 6,700 dollars. i see there are other reports of this same problem. would like to know if others received any financial assistance from chrysler and what my next steps should be.*ak

Engine shuts down after driving more than 90 miles with out stopping.*jb

Consumer states that while driving heard a banging noise from the front of vehicle, check engine light came on. had vehicle serviced, the engine had blown.*mr